Interface names Eco-Park for Colombia

Posted Date:
5/16/2013

[Atlanta] "Rebolo Eco-Park", designed by Jesús Pertuz of Paris, France, has been selected as the winner of Interface, Inc.’s “Reconnect Your Space” competition, the company announced. The competition invited architects, designers and students to submit their visions for how biophilia can influence the design of a new or existing space, either within interior built environments or outside in cities. Biophilic design incorporates natural elements into manmade environments in order to help people feel and perform better.

Rebolo Eco-Park was selected as the most unique, inspiring and purposeful way of reconnecting a space with nature. The winning entry was inspired by Rebolo, a low-income neighborhood located in Barranquilla, Colombia, a northern part of the country on the Caribbean Sea that serves as a major industrial, maritime port. The aim of Pertuz’s submission was to improve the community by creating a space for social interaction and integration, and as he states: “giving them back a sense of pride and dignity.” Pertuz is currently pursuing a master of architecture degree from the renowned École National Supérieur d'Architecture Paris Val de Seine in Paris.

“This idea was haunting me since a sleepless night at the end of the summer and I just needed a way to take it out and share it with the world,” said Pertuz. “I believe that spaces have a strong and direct impact on people's behavior. When we empower somebody or a community through design, they are more likely to respond by developing a sense of ownership and responsibility to each other, to their environment, to their community, their neighborhood and the rest of the world.”